geriatric question

Ok this is the first time I have had to deal with a dog getting old. My parents never let me have a dog until I was in 8th grade, when a small helpless puppy wandered up to our porch in the rain. After desperately trying to find an owner we were allowed to keep her (Molly). Well I am now 26 and Molly is 13 and not living with my parents so Molly and I don't get as much time together as I'd like. Onto my question...I have noticed that lately, she has gotten very neurotic almost. Like just whining for no reason, asking to go out CONSTANTLY, and just sort of wandering around the house like she doesn't quite know what to do with herself. She was diagnosed with congenital heart disease and takes daily meds for it, and I know that she might not feel like her old self, but can dogs go senile? I just want to make her happy and I have a hard time doing it lately. SOrry this is so long, but thanks for reading....

Part of the need to go out frequently may be due to the meds. If they're for heart disease, especially since she's getting older, part of the treatment may be a mild diuretic. As dogs age, too, they lose things like bladder tone and kidney function decreases little by little.

You might want to consider making some dietary adjustments, gradually, to take some of the load off of her digestion. One simple one is to feed her small meals several times a day, or, if she will, just let her graze throughout the day.

You're taking good care of her and making sure she's got the veterinary attention she needs, and you love her. The last is what she needs more than anything at this point in her life.

http://www.chazhound.com/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=3414
here is a pic of her...
I would say she has been acting this way for awhile now..6mo at least. We took her to the vet, or should I say we take her to the vet almost every month for a check-up. He says she is just getting old, and that her health is as good as it can be. We suspected the loss of bladder/bowel control too, but she doesn't even go most of the time when we take her out. I guess I am just paranoid of not doing everything we can to make her happy.

thanks Renee...the vet said the same thing about her food. She is a grazer anyways, but we try to keep small amounts of food in her dish at a time. Yes, the meds are for her heart, and one is a diuretic. Can these make her thirsty too? She drinks constantly!

Yep, they can make her thirsty. You might want to mention that to the vet on her next check-up, though. He might want to screen her for some other causes, like diabetes.